Meanwhile, back at the Hogwarts Ministry Wing...
It really wasn't that much different from her days as co-Headmistress and Professor of Transfiguration at the School, not significantly. Now Minister for Magic of Wizarding Britain, Minerva McGonagall was still occupying a classically-decorated office at Hogwarts, pestered night and day by owls from foreign dignitaries, and refereeing debates and conflicts by former students now allegedly occupying Ministry positions. Be grateful for the continuity, I suppose, she told herself. I could be a retired old pensioner, slowly going mad in a tiny flat for want of something to do.

The recent flurry of activity, however, was beginning to affect her blood pressure, and causing her to send either up to Madame Marchbanks or down to Severus for juniper-and-parsley tincture. She was all in a worry trying to unravel the news and rumours of Death-Eaters infiltrating Muggle governments, attempts at Blood-Settling in the Middle East, and now this business of Ghosts in Washington, D.C. And she was beginning to get a nagging hunch that they might all be connected somehow.

All of which, she felt, should be brought up in the upcoming Ministry-wide meeting, of which she was writing to her recently-wed Deputy Minister:

Hermione:

There's been more news of Death-Eaters operating in the States, especially within the Muggle Defense Department and their Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As we suspected, without a designated leader, at-large Death-Eaters will gravitate to where there is power to be had, notwithstanding their evident distate for coexisting with Muggle society.

Likewise, there have been more bizarre tales of ghost activity and attempts at Blood-Settling in the Middle East. No less than a delegation from Wizarding Uruq (Iraq), led by their own Deputy Minister, Madame Ghazala Al-Halim, has arrived in Youngblood Circle. Rumour has it that the purpose of their visit has something to do with Blood-Settling, but that has not been confirmed.

In any case, Hermione, our next Ministry-wide Council meeting will be held Monday next, just after the lunch hour, and is expected to take up most of the afternoon. The Auror Division, those not on field duty, are also expected to attend. Please owl me back to confirm your attendance, or inform me if extenuating circumstances will prevent your attendance.

Minerva McGonagall

"Off with you, then", she told her owl, after slipping her a few extra treats. The poor little pygmy, like Minerva herself, also was beginning to look rather thinly-spread.

I don't see any problem with attending next Monday. Should I copy and present some of my own correspondence? I've been getting some of the same wire stories via MagiVid owls as you have; but I've also heard, via Tonks, about Madame Sandansky's Night Ship cruising about Muggle Washington, even strafing the White House, of all things! If you haven't heard of this by now yourself, you might find Tonks' (albeit secondhand) account interesting. If she's at the meeting, and not doing Disillusioned flyovers around 10 Downing Street or some such, she should be able to fill in more details than I can.

At any rate, do expect me there. And do look after yourself, with all the dampness on top of the stress...